Remaining portions of California bridge implode as planned

It was all systems go for the second round of implosions at the old Antlers Bridge in Lakehead, California on Jan. 14.

According to an article in The Record Searchlight, a small crowd nearby cheered as the fifth span of the bridge fell into Lake Shasta following the detonation of about 300 charges.

The demolition came after the span failed to fall on Jan. 10, when the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) detonated 1,300 charges to knock down four spans of the bridge. The charges were placed over the course of about a month, which time moisture caused some of the charges not to detonate.

But on Saturday morning, the weather cooperated with clear and sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 30 degrees.

Caltrans also shut down the already built bridge which is part of Interstate 5 for about 30 minutes, for the implosion.

Debris will be removed from the water using divers and cranes which is expected to take about two months. According to the article, the bridge’s demolition is one of the final acts of the nearly eight-year process to replace the Antlers Bridge. The new bridge opened in the fall of 2016.